Spanish Teacher Scores $25,000 As First Down Payment On House

CUPERTINO, CA -- There's a first for everything, and timing is everything. Just ask Beti Magana, who threw open the door to school after over two weeks Monday as the big winner at a special event scheduled around the College Football Playoff National Championship in Santa Clara. The Scott Lane Elementary School Spanish teacher took home a $25,000 award deemed as a down payment on a house through the Extra Yard for Teachers program.

Magana touched on how the big win represents her first down payment on a home.

She and her husband were searching for a home and therefore a lender when she stumbled on the Extra Yard teacher's advocacy website. She registered to win the down, which she must use within three months.

The College Football Playoff Foundation kept a pretty good secret. Despite getting picked up in an arranged black Cadillac for the Sunday event and having to change her plans, Magana said she didn't suspect she was the grand prize winner.

The award was timed with the national championship Monday night that pit the Alabama Crimson Tide against the Clemson Tigers at Levi's Stadium. The big game was the first time the famed end-of-year matchup was played in a West Coast venue, providing a windfall for Silicon Valley-area lodging and tourism outlets.

As part of the blockbuster activities slated for the weekend leading up to the game, the College Football Playoff Foundation selected the Santa Clara County Unified School teacher among 7,000 applicants nationwide. The festivities designed as part of last weekend's teachers' summit are shown here at https://49ers.egnyte.com/dl/VL.

"I was in shock. The first thing I said is 'I never win anything,'" Magana told Patch.

The windfall has been primarily kept under wraps. Her 22 students in the Santa Clara school don't even know yet as of Tuesday.

Fortunately, Magana was already saving for a down payment on a house. In Santa Clara County, the $25,000 may be considered a fraction of a down given that Zillow just reported a median price for a single family residence stands at $1.2 million, and she realizes that harsh reality.

The constant concern among San Francisco Bay Area school districts and other employers outside the high-flying tech world is that their employees are being priced out of the lucrative housing market. Statistics show it takes 21 years to save for a down payment on a home in San Jose, Zillow reported.

When the nonprofit organization put on the summit at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, it raised the bar for philanthropic community groups to support educators in their region. The College Football Playoff Foundation and the Bay Area Host Committee have committed to a $1 million investment to impact local educators.

As one CFF official put it before Magna's name was announced: "One thing we know about this area is housing is a significant issue as it relates to the quality of education."

In addition, the foundation is also rallying fans in the Bay Area and nationwide to support Butte County Schools. Its primary platform -- the Extra Yard for Teachers -- is dedicated to elevating the teaching profession by inspiring and empowering those who instruct our youth.

The Extra Yard for Teachers program is dedicated to elevating the teaching profession by inspiring and empowering teachers. It focuses on four key areas: resources, recognition, recruitment and professional development.

See also https://patch.com/california/ and https://patch.com/california/.

--Image courtesy of College Football Playoff Foundation